Wait Until Dark Film Review
Richard Crenna and Alan Arkin Menace a Blind Audrey Hepburn
A review of the film where criminal, taking advantage of a woman's blindness try to con her in order to retrieve a doll stuffed with heroin.
Susie (Audrey Hepburn), a recently blinded woman is left alone in her apartment for the day. Her husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) met a woman on a flight several days earlier. The woman gives Sam a doll to hold for her before she is whisked away by a man. What Susie and Sam don’t know is that the doll contains a plethora of heroin. Not only that, the doll is nowhere to be found.
Criminal Element
Mike (Richard Crenna) and Carlino (Jack Weston) are recently paroled con men. They were partners with the woman (Lisa played by Samantha Jones) from the plane several years earlier before she left them holding the bag on a job. Lisa gives them the address of Susie. Encouraged by a note from Lisa, the men enter the apartment, only to encounter Roat (Alan Arkin), the man from the airport who has killed Lisa and hung her in the closet. Roat wants the doll, while Mike and Carlino are ready to leave; but with their fingerprints being everywhere at a murder scene, Roat has the upper hand and invites the men to join him in reacquiring the doll. If they use their con skills to get the doll, he’ll pay them and be on his way.
Susie
Blinded in an accident, she is still adjusting to life without sight. Susie still runs into furniture, and relies on Gloria (Julie Herrod), the girl from upstairs much more than either of them would like. She never seems to want to be away from her husband, but she is proud of her achievements at blind school.
The Con
Mike appears on the scene claiming to be a war buddy of Sam. He gains Susie’s trust. Meanwhile Carlino and Roat come and go as they please. Carlino poses as a detective with a missing person’s ‘case’ (Lisa) being connected to a doll, while Roat comes in playing a father and son duo, claiming to be family of the woman and dresses and acts differently for both parts (for a total of three parts in the film). Susie gradually begins to suspect, with the help of Gloria, that something under the surface is going on.
Adapted From Stage
The story was adapted from Frederick Knott’s stage play of the same name While it has an intriguing premise, at times it is clear that the tension that could be held with a live performance does not quite come through on film. As the situation progresses, it unfortunately relies on several gimmicks that may make some viewers question the plausibility.
The Verdict
A very good film which really showcases the differences between a thriller of today and yesteryear. Instead of relying on bloody violence and profanity, Wait Until Dark uses a woman’s disability as the prime source of its menace. Hepburn, while giving a decent performance is clearly outshined here by the male cast, specifically Arkin as the simplistic yet menacing Roat and Crenna as Mike. It might remind a viewer of David Mamet’s House Of Games, where con men use a woman’s professional interest against her. The climatic ending is purposeful, deliberate, and well executed. Released in 1967, Wait Until Dark still stands up well today.
Character and actor names referenced via IMDB.
